Superfood - March-April 2017

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

JERUSALEM

ARTICHOKE

A

t fi rst sight this vegetable cannot be

described as pretty! It looks just like

a lumpy old potato and though it’s

becoming more common in our supermarkets

it is still unfamiliar to most.

Its season is October to March and it has a sweet,

nutty fl avour. When preparing and cooking a

Jerusalem artichoke, think of it as a potato; you

can roast, mash, bake, boil and steam it! And

similar to the potato there is a lot of nutrition

in the skin, so keep the skin on, if desired. This

vegetable does discolour quickly in the air, so

drop into water with a squeeze of lemon juice

straight aft er peeling to stop any oxidisation.

In addition to cooking the Jerusalem artichoke

(and unlike potatoes) they can be eaten raw in

salads or stir-fried.

Interestingly, Jerusalem artichokes are not

part of the artichoke family and they are not

even from Jerusalem. The name artichoke is

believed to have come from the fact that they

taste a like an artichoke mixed with potato –

but where the name Jerusalem derived from

is unknown. Guesses have been made at

‘girasole’, which is the Italian for sunfl ower.

The vegetable is part of the sunfl ower

family and the tubers oft en resemble the

appearance of ginger root.

Nutritionally this vegetable is high in iron

and inulin, which is a carbohydrate linked

with good intestinal health. It also contains,

vitamin C, potassium and phosphorus.

PHOTOGRAPHS: NATALIA KUPREYCHENKO/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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